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$10 BIL. BENEFITS BILL FROZEN BY LONE SENATOR! Jim Bunning Breaks Rank and Stands Firm, Becoming Pariah! (Eastern Time)
WASHINGTON, DC (Feb. 26, 2010)-- Today a motion was made in the U.S. Senate that the Benefits Extension Bill be adopted by unanimous consent. But Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) is the only U.S. Senator voting against passing the Benefits Extensions Bill by unanimous decree.
The implications are astounding. This means that the 30-day extension of unemployment benefits, health care benefits for the unemployed (Cobra), highway and transit programs, the compulsory copyright license used by satellite TV providers and the federal flood insurance program ALL MAY COME TO A SCREECHING HALT! Why? Because some of the programs -- including unemployment benefits and Cobra – expire Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, unless something is done! Democrats had proposed a $10 billion band aid fix while they work on a bigger year-long extension they plan on passing in the next couple of weeks. (See Time Magazine’s blog on this below.)
Senator Jim Bunning's finance chairman, Marcus Carey, is available for Talk Show interviews on this topic. During your interview with Marcus, he explains the unanimous motion procedure that backfired. Typically it is a way to quickly slam dunk a popular bill through but it can backfire if a single Senator dares to swim upstream, bucking the trend, willing to take the heat. Marcus, who lives in Kentucky has unique insight into the mind of Jim Bunning.
Who so? Marcus is not only Senator Bunning’s former finance chairman but he is also the former Vice Chairman of The Republican Party of Kentucky. As a conservative writer and blogger with over 40 years experience running political campaigns, as well as having spent 30 years as a lawyer, Marcus Carey clearly puts for the legal and political ramifications of the hold out vote.
Marcus Carey is increasingly being called upon and quoted for his insights and unique political perspective. Clearly, Carey is today’s quickly rising ‘go to’ political expert, perhaps for getting nuggets like these quotes from Senator Bunning’s office: “When 100 Senators are for a Bill and we can’t find $10 Billion to pay for it there is something seriously the matter with this body,” and, “If all 100 members of the U.S. Senate are for a Bill and they can’t find a way to pay for it, they’ll never pay for anything.”
If any of your listeners ask, “Where would Senator Bunning have gotten such a notion to declare potential financial suicide for the U.S. government? Ask Senator Bunning’s former finance chairman Marcus Carey during your interview!
SWAMPLAND/ Feb. 26, 2010
Time Magazine's blog on Politics
Bunning Hijacks the Senate
By Jay Newton-Small
I didn't think it was possible for Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, to get more unpopular with his colleagues: he was forced, feet dragging, to announce he wouldn't run for reelection after fellow Kentuckian and minority leader Mitch McConnell wouldn't even endorse him. But tonight, he is pariah to a whole new level. Before heading home for the weekend, the Senate is trying to wrap up a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits, health care benefits for the unemployed (Cobra), highway and transit programs, the compulsory copyright license used by satellite TV providers and the federal flood insurance program. Some of the programs -- including unemployment benefits and Cobra -- expire on Sunday unless something is done and Dems are proposing a $10 billion bandaid fix while they work on a bigger year-long extension they aim to pass in the next couple of weeks.
Bunning, though, is objecting, as is the privilege of any senator. He says he'll allow the bill to go through tonight if money from the stimulus is used to pay for the bill, rather than passing it unfunded. “What I have proposed is a pay-for. My gosh, we've got over $400 billion in unspent stimulus money,” Bunning said on the Senate floor. “I'll be here as long as you're here and as long as all those other senators are here and I'm going to object every time because you won't pay for this and you propose to never pay for it.”
Democrats reacted with outraged press releases. “We are in a serious recession; millions of Americans are out of work,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. “People have depleted their savings; they run the risk of losing their homes; they're trying to keep their children in school and trying to provide the necessities of life for their families. And it is simply unfair for one senator to attempt to hold the Senate hostage on this issue.”
Bunning has a point: for Dems who wax poetic about Paygo and reducing the deficit it's hypocritical to then turn around an pass bill after unfunded bill (only $5 billion of the $15 billion jobs bill that passed earlier this week was paid for). At the same time, I don't envy Bunning: standing between a senator and the airport at the end of the legislative week is a dangerous place to be. If Bunning can't be convinced to drop his objection, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to file for cloture to proceed, which means 30 hours of debate which pretty much ensures the entire Senate will be here through much of the weekend.
Article: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/02/25/bunning-hijacks-the-senate/#ixzz0gf5rCLFZ
ABOUT MARCUS…
Marcus Carey is a successful lawyer and recent candidate for the Kentucky Supreme Court with over twenty eight years experience in providing his many thousand clients expert advice dedicated to advancing their best interests. He is an accomplished advocate in the courtroom, a trusted advisor to small businesses and a respected negotiator.
In addition Marc is a farmer, talk radio host and public speaker, who has an insatiable appetite for accuracy, and a deep love of history. His approach to every facet of his career reflects his view of the world as he sees it in large part through the eyes of those who came before us.
Marc has been a guest on a number of television programs where he has been invited to talk about law, politics and current events from his unique point of view. He has championed cases of major corporate corruption, championed cases for the disabled and courageously defended the United States Constitution.
Marcus Carey is the author of many published editorials. He has been quoted and written about most recently on a national level regarding the federal lawsuit he brought in his own name to advance the First Amendment right of voters to have access to more information about the men and women who seek to be elected as judges.
He is quoted as saying that his purpose in bringing the suit was "to open up the selection process of judges and to create a better informed citizenry in whose hands rests the exclusive constitutional power to elect the men and women who sit in judgment of our lives and our liberty."
Marc has served in many leadership positions within his state bar association as well as having a long history of writing and speaking about professional and governmental ethics.
He and his wife of 35 years live on a farm in North Central Kentucky. Together they have raised two fine sons, dozens of horses, acres of tobacco, herds of cattle and a yard full of dogs. Drawing upon his experience as a hunter, woodsman, sharpshooter and wilderness traveler Marc sees details in the world which many of us miss. As a professional speaker and trial lawyer he shares his extraordinary experiences in a way which gives his audience a brand new perspective on the world around us.
And with over 35 years of campaign experience as a political insider, his Forest Gump style personal contact with JFK, LBJ , Bob Dole, both Presidents Bush and many other highly regarded leaders Marc has a unique ability to talk with juries and audiences alike with a perspective and humor that is both enjoyable and persuasive.
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